Learning, playing, or both?

I still remember my year in third grade. It was a big transition year. I remember spending 90% of my day at my desk, doing seat work, focusing on Mrs. Gardner as she taught lessons, and such. I have no memories of using manipulatives or sitting on the floor, only memories (albeit good ones) of several hours a day spent at my desk. 

Third grade in my classroom looks very different. Why? Because I teach 8 and 9 year olds. They're kids. And what do kids do best? Play and move around, a lot. 

I am a firm believer that some of the most authentic learning experiences can happen through the use of hands on experiences and manipulations, which is really a fancy way to say "through play." Authentic learning, to me, means internalizing concepts and skills that they will later use in life. How can doing a worksheet at a desk do that? 

So. What does learning most often look like in my classroom? It looks like kids sitting on the floor using cubes and dice and blocks to build arrays and learn their multiplication facts.

It means kids working together to solve problems and explore concepts. Working together, learning from each other, and helping each other. Can a worksheet teach that?

Children can work at their own pace and can be challenged or supported. It's fun, it's engaging; for me and the kids. I love the excitement they have for math and the groans I hear when I say "time to move on."

Sure...there are times when we sit at desks and they use a paper and pencil. But, more times than not, when you enter my classroom, you'll find kids using their hands, minds, and creativity to master topics ranging from multiplication to pre-fixes and suffixes.